This application claims the priority benefit of Taiwan application serial no. 90110587, filed on May 3, 2001.
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to a method of continuous burn for a storage medium, and more particularly, to a method of correctly continuous burn for data write interrupt generated to resolve a buffer under run issue.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 shows a system structure for writing data into a storage medium. The central processing unit (CPU) 100 controls data temporarily stored in a data buffer 104 via an IDE bus 102. Meanwhile, the data previously stored in the data buffer 104 is burned into a storage medium 110 via a laser pick-up head 108. The storage time for the data in the data buffer 104 is short because at the time that the bus 102 writes the data transmitted by the CPU 100 into the data buffer 104, the data in the data buffer 104 is read and written into the storage medium 110. If the CPU 100 delays the transmission to process another operation, the data in the data buffer 104 is not enough to be written into the storage medium 100, and a write interrupt is caused. This is known as xe2x80x9cbuffer under runxe2x80x9d.
The prior art proposes two methods to resolve the above problem. One is a vari-pitch method, and the other is a burn-proof method.
Referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, in the storage format of the recordable or rewritable compact disk prescribed by the orange book provided by Philip and Sony, one data block comprises 98 data frames. Each data frame comprises 588 bits of storage space, which includes 24 bits of synchronous columns (sync), 3 bits of merge columns, 14 bits of SubQ code columns, and the residual 547 bits of data columns that can really write data.
In FIG. 3, the vari-pitch method is used to resolve buffer under run. In this method, when buffer under run is to occur, a close operation is performed on the currently burned data block. That is, after the currently written data block 1 is burned into a complete data block, four run in blocks and one link block are burned for a close. The link block is an incomplete line block. Only when the data buffer is filled with data, the link data is then superimposed onto the incomplete link block. In addition, before burning the data blocks that the user can really use or access, two run out blocks have to be burned further to be able to perform the burning process for the next data block. That is, neither the run in block, the link block nor the run out block is usable data for the user, but the automatically written blocks to resolve buffer under run in the vari-pitch method.
Therefore, when buffer under run occurs to the method, the reason why an interrupt does not happen during burning data is explained as follows. Before burning a next data block, an overlap area is generated in the link block between the previous and next data blocks. The overlap area is not the written data usable or accessible to the user. Therefore, it can be superimposed, but is not to be modified, so that the interrupt between the data blocks does not occur. However, the link block, the run in block and the run out block between the data blocks in this method are so long that the data storage space of the storage medium is reduced. Consequently, the access speed of the system becomes slower.
FIG. 4 shows a burn-proof method to resolve buffer under run as proposed by Sanyo.
In the burn-proof method, before buffer under run occurs, the currently written data is burned into a complete data block as shown as the data block 1 in front of point a in FIG. 4, that is, the data written previously. When the data amount stored in the data buffer is enough to be written into the next data block, the write operation of the next data block is performed. That is, the data block 2 after the point b in FIG. 4 indicates the data block for continuous burn.
However, before burning the next data block, a gap is formed by the physic phenomenon induced by motor rotation, that is, the distance between the points a and b in FIG. 4. The gap is formed between two complete written frames instead of being located in a single frame. Since the data cannot be burned into the gap, a pitch of 40 microns is formed in a single speed burner, and a pitch of 80 microns is formed in a dual speed burner. Similarly, a pitch of 160 microns is generated in a quad-speed burner. However, according to the specification of the orange book provided by Philip and Sony, a maximum pitch of 100 microns is allowed. Once such limit is exceeded, errors occur or data cannot be accessed during the burning operation.
According to the above, redundant blocks are generated in the vari-pitch method, such that the data storage space of the storage medium is reduced, and the access speed of the compact disk is slowed down. In a high-speed operation, the burn-proof method generates a gap with a pitch over 100 microns to cause errors of the synchronous data in the synchronous column. Consequently, errors occur in the burning operation or the written data is not accessible.
The invention provides a method to resolve buffer under run without generating a gap or redundant data blocks that are not close blocks.
The invention further provides a method of continuous burn for a storage medium, in which a continuous burn is performed on the data stored in the data buffer to the storage medium.
The data structure of the storage medium includes at least a data block. The data block further comprises a synchronous frame and a plurality of data frames. The data frames are continuously arranged behind the synchronous frame in sequence. The synchronous frame and each data frame include a synchronous column and a data column, respectively.
The method of continuous burn of the storage medium includes the following steps. Whether buffer under run is to occur to the data buffer is detected. If buffer under run is to occur to the data buffer, the currently burned data block is written as an incomplete data block. The incomplete data block also comprises a synchronous frame and an incomplete data frame, which is to burn the last data.
The burn operation is paused then. When the data amount in the data buffer reaches a predetermined value, the new data is burned into a superimposed data region of the incomplete data frame. The data in the data buffer is then continuously burned into a subsequent data frame adjacent to the incomplete data frame.
The superimposed data region can be located in any position of the data column of the incomplete data frame.
In the burn operation, when the burning system of storage medium includes a synchronous protection mechanism, the superimposed data region can be located at any position of the data frame apart from the synchronous frame in the data block.
When the incomplete data frame is located in a specified position of the data block, the superimposed data region is located at any position after the synchronous column.
Both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed.